"A while ago, my husband and I went to a newcomers’ luncheon at a church we were considering attending. We watched as church staff, almost all in their early- to mid-30s, schmoozed with the young families. While I recognize the demands at these types of events, only one staff member connected with the newcomers who were obviously the oldest people in the room. We left the gathering feeling like we’d become an anachronistic punch line." [I know how this writer feels]

There is nothing more critical to leadership than strategic decision-making. And nothing is more strategic in decision-making than, well, strategy.

Recently our staff reviewed five of the more pivotal decisions we’ve made regarding strategy over the course of our church’s life. We’ve certainly made more than these five, but these loomed large in terms of our church’s foundation and formation. You may not agree with our decisions – in fact, I’m sure many of you won’t. But that’s what made each decision strategic; it reflected a settled choice between competing ideas.

"77 percent of tithers reported giving between 11 and 20 percent of their income, and 70 percent donate based on their gross (not net) income. The majority (63 percent) started tithing 10 percent or more between childhood and their twenties.

"Moreover, it appears that generous givers are better off financially than their non-tithing counterparts. Nearly 1 in 3 Christian tithers reports being debt free, and the vast majority (8 in 10) have no outstanding credit card bills, compared to 13 percent and 60 percent of non-tithers, respectively.

"But it isn't the case that faithful tithers only give because they have excess income. Instead, the data show that tithers are distributed almost equally across all income brackets.

"Tithers also carry outsized importance in a congregation. The study found they comprise "only 10-25 percent of the families in the church, but they often provide 50 to 80 percent of the funding."